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The East Dunbartonshire Advisory Clinic Model: Better outcomes for people affected by dementia

How was it achieved?

The initiative developed out of the work of the East Dunbartonshire Dementia Network, a forum that brings together groups, organisations and members of the community committed to improving the lives of people with dementia, their families and carers. The Network originally functioned as a knowledge exchange with members sharing service updates and was established by a representative of the Scottish Dementia Working Group, a national voice for people with dementia by people who have dementia. It evolved over time to become a forum for collaboration with a focus on co-creation and a shared vision for a new dementia inclusive community.

The clinic model was developed by East Dunbartonshire Council’s Social Work Department in partnership with the Community Health Partnership and three third sector partners, Alzheimer Scotland, Ceartas Advocacy and Carers Link. East Dunbartonshire Council have an established record of investing in support that is meaningful to people with dementia. In 1999 they supported study through the first international MSc in Dementia Studies at the University of Stirling. This study focussed on the views of people with dementia on the things that help them feel included in decisions about their care and provided the framework for the current co-production approach. Ceartas have an established Dementia Group where people with dementia make their views known about local issues. Alzheimer Scotland have forums locally and nationally for interaction with people who have dementia about the type of support that they require. Carers Link similarly support local carers of people with dementia to make their views known about the issues that matter to them.

Clinics have been delivered in a variety of settings and locations throughout East Dunbartonshire, and include a specific clinic for black and minority ethnic people who have dementia or are concerned about dementia. The clinic model contributes to a more efficient use of existing services through enhanced co-ordination of the existing resources of all of the partner organisations. They deliver the type of advice and support that people with dementia have advised they need and fit around the lives of the person with dementia delivered flexibly and sensitively.

The process of developing and testing the new service model was straightforward in most respects. However, particular time and emphasis was required in:

  • Choosing partner providers. From among the wide network of potential service providers there were choices required on who the core operational partners should be. This process was managed within the context of the Dementia Network, ensuring an open and transparent process of developing the partnership. 
  • Building a third sector consortium. The collaborative model was able to come together because of existing strong cooperation between statutory organisations and the third sector whereby partners were actively sharing their own resources and co-operating with each other.  Putting together a formal agreement for a number of organisations to work together within a specific service framework did take time but the good practice already happening through the Dementia Network expedited this process.
  • Agreeing the service design. It required time and some difficult conversations between partners to agree the optimum service delivery model. Throughout the process partners needed to remain grounded in the relevant policy priorities and expressed service user needs. It was also important to form a service delivery model that played to the strengths of each partner provider. 

Channelling the resources. There were considerations regarding the most appropriate mechanism through which to channel Change Fund resources into testing the new service. In the end one ‘lead’ partner from among the three providers was identified to manage funds, accountable to the Local Authority, with Service Level Agreements formed with the other third sector providers. This again required co-operation among partners. 

About this case study
Main Contact

Julie Christie
Partnership Lead for Dementia
East Dunbartonshire Council

julie.christie@
eastdunbarton.gov.uk

Julie Christie wrote this case study for Governance International in September 2013.

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